A DAY after a Nottingham hotel closed its doors, another hotel business has revealed it's moving into the city.

Five two-bedroom hotel apartments are to be opened above Delilah, the city centre delicatessen in Victoria Street.

The Birchover Residence Nottingham is the latest venture for a Derby-based company which now has four apartment hotels in the UK and France.

News of its opening comes only a day after the owners of the struggling Lace Market Hotel revealed they were closing because they could not find a buyer for the business.

But Carl Bridge, owner of Birchover Hotel Apartments, says he is unconcerned by the closure of a business in the same field.

He told the Post: "We were coming into Nottingham anyway because we think it's the right place for our next move.

"I don't have any particular fears because of the Lace Market Hotel's closure.

"If anything, it's an opportunity for us because it would have been one of very few competitors for what we do."

Hotel apartments offer all the facilities of a hotel except a bar and restaurant, and tenants of the Birchover Residence Nottingham will be able to eat in Delilah, which is directly below, or buy food from it.

The five two-bedroom apartments in Victoria Street will be "luxuriously" appointed.

Each will have Sky TV wifi and a sauna.

The development becomes part of a business that already operates three venues, at Darley Abbey, Derby city centre and in France.

The Darley Abbey site has 40 apartments; the city centre location, called Bay Tree Apartments, has 12; and the French site, Les Belleme Golf Apartments, in South Normandy, has 30 properties

The business was originally launched by property developer John Gould in the late 1990s but was bought by Mr Bridge and wife Lisa in January 2013.

They already managed the business and have since built it up to the point where the Derby apartments are top-ranked by Trip Advisor and used by the city council to host potential inward investors.

Mr Bridge said: "What we offer is very high quality.

"The difference between a hotel and a hotel apartment is that you get an apartment instead of just a room.

"They key difference is that we don't have a bar or restaurant.

"But in Nottingham we will partner with Delilah, who will be able to provide guests with food if they wish.

"Our brand in Derby is well-renowned and we have been top on Trip Advisor for two years.

"We jumped at the chance when this opportunity became available in Nottingham."

Mr Bridge says the Nottingham hotel apartments represent a six-figure investment for Birchover, factoring in the cost of leasing the space from Delilah.

He added: "We felt this was an opportunity that was too good to miss in Nottingham, a place where we can come in at the top in terms of the quality of the accommodation.

"But we are already looking at other opportunities in the city."

Birchover's hotel apartments have proved particularly popular with business clients who are looking for stays that may last several days and require more than a bedroom.

Birchover was named Best Small Hotel to Work For in the UK at the 2013 Caterer Hospitality Awards.

Mr Bridge says the Nottingham apartments will launch with three or four staff but may ultimately employ up to nine people.